JP2002052977A - Lamp control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lamp control device for a vehicle easy to inform emergency by calling a driver's attention of a following vehicle in the case when deceleration of a one's own vehicle is smaller than a specified value during automatic braking operation and to make the driver of the following vehicle recognize a change of an inter-vehicle distance with the one's own vehicle in the case when the deceleration is larger than the specified value. SOLUTION: It is easy to call the driver's attention of the following vehicle by actuating at least a part of a luminescent surface of a lamp means provided on a vehicle rear part to blink in the case when automatic braking is detected by an automatic brake working state detection means and the deceleration detected by a decelerating state detection means is smaller than the specified value, possible to make a continuously blinked lamp a continual visual object for the driver of the following vehicle by making at least one part of the luminous surface of the lamp means work to continuously light on in the case when the deceleration is larger than the specified value and easy to make the driver of the following vehicle recognize the change of the inter-vehicle distance with the one's own vehicle by a continual visual change of the visual object.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular light control device, and more particularly to a vehicle equipped with an automatic brake for automatically controlling a brake under a predetermined driving condition, in which the deceleration exceeds a predetermined value. The present invention relates to a vehicular light control device suitable for performing the above operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional apparatus for controlling a lamp such as a stop lamp, there is a technique described in, for example, JP-A-08-164766. This means that when a predetermined driving condition is detected, a rear light such as a stop lamp blinks at the time of automatic braking to automatically control the brake of the vehicle, and deceleration or depression of the brake pedal based on the driver's brake pedal operation. When the amount exceeds a predetermined value, the blinking operation is stopped, and the lighting operation is prioritized, and the following vehicle is notified that the own vehicle is in an emergency state, and at the same time, the behavior of the own vehicle with respect to the following vehicle. The purpose is to judge. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-19 / 07
5976 describes a technique of blinking a stop lamp at the time of ABS operation. This is performed to make it easier for the following vehicle to be informed that the own vehicle is in a sudden braking state by blinking the light.

[0003]

However, in the above-described structure, at the time of automatic braking operation, the lighting device including at least the stop lamp until the brake pedal is operated and the deceleration or the amount of depression of the brake pedal exceeds a predetermined value. Is controlled so as to blink, and the driver of the following vehicle has a problem that when the blinking stop lamp is viewed, the input is intermittently interrupted and it is difficult to recognize the approach.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to a lighting device provided at the rear of the vehicle when the deceleration exceeds a predetermined value during automatic brake operation regardless of whether or not a brake pedal is operated. The purpose is to make at least a part of the vehicle continuously lit to make it the subject of continuous vision for the driver of the following vehicle, and to make it easier for the driver of the following vehicle to understand the change in the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle by the change in the visual angle. And

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention recognizes a proximity state between a host vehicle and an obstacle and judges that the host vehicle may contact the obstacle. Automatic brake control means for braking the own vehicle when it is performed,
Automatic brake operation state detection means for detecting an operation state of the automatic brake control means, deceleration state detection means for detecting deceleration of the vehicle, and a rear portion of the vehicle when the automatic brake operation state detection means detects an automatic brake. A lighting control means for lighting the lighting means provided in the vehicle, wherein the lighting control means detects an automatic brake by an automatic braking operation state detecting means and is detected by the deceleration state detecting means. When the deceleration is smaller than a predetermined value, at least a part of the light emitting surface of the lighting means is caused to blink, and when the deceleration is equal to or more than a predetermined value, at least a part of the light emitting surface of the lighting means is continuously lit. It is characterized in that it is controlled to operate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the lighting means provided on the rear portion of the vehicle, which is turned on when the automatic braking operation state detecting means detects the automatic braking, is a stop lamp.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular lamp control device in which a light emitting surface of the lamp means is constituted by a plurality of light emitting segments, and each lighting operation of the light emitting segments can be controlled independently. In the case where the automatic brake is detected by the automatic brake operation state detecting means, one or both of continuous lighting and blinking operate on the light emitting surface of the lighting means and both light emitting faces of the light emitting surface of the lighting device are simultaneously operated. It is characterized in that the ratio between the continuous lighting operation region where the continuous lighting operation is performed and the blinking operation region where the blinking operation is performed can be changed based on the deceleration detected by the deceleration state detecting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the deceleration of the own vehicle detected by the deceleration state detecting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle light control means may determine whether the vehicle deceleration is smaller than the predetermined value. The ratio of the blinking operation region on the light emitting surface of the lighting device is reduced, and the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region is increased.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, after the deceleration of the host vehicle detected by the deceleration state detecting means has become equal to or more than a predetermined value, the lighting means is provided before the deceleration becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value. The ratio of the blinking operation region on the light emitting surface of the lighting means is increased, and the ratio of the blinking operation region on the light emitting surface of the lighting means is decreased.

According to the present invention, while the automatic brake is detected by the automatic brake operation state detecting means,
It is characterized in that both continuous lighting and blinking are operated simultaneously on the light emitting surface of the lighting means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the light-emitting segment of the continuous lighting operation area on the light-emitting surface of the lighting means includes:
It is characterized by having both a high-luminance light-emitting segment that emits light at one of a plurality of preset luminous intensities and a low-luminance light-emitting segment that emits light at a lower luminous intensity than the high-luminance light-emitting segment.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the continuous lighting operation area of the light emitting surface of the lighting means, the high luminance light emitting segments and the low luminance light emitting segments are alternately arranged.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting means is such that the high-luminance light-emitting segment and the low-luminance light-emitting segment are in either a substantially horizontal direction or a substantially vertical direction or both directions. Are alternately arranged.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the blinking frequency of the blinking operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device is determined by the external light environment detecting means for detecting the external brightness of the vehicle. It is characterized in that it can be changed in response to the request.

[0015] In the eleventh aspect, the blinking frequency of the blinking operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device may be set such that when the brightness outside the vehicle detected by the external light environment detecting means is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, It is characterized in that it becomes lower when it is smaller than a predetermined value.

[0016]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the deceleration of the own vehicle is smaller than a predetermined value, at least a part of the light emitting surface of the lighting device blinks, thereby calling attention of a driver of a following vehicle. In addition, when the deceleration of the own vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined value, at least a part of the light emitting surface of the lighting device is continuously lit, so that the continuously lit lamp is continuously viewed by the driver of the following vehicle. The change in the visual angle makes it easy for the driver of the following vehicle to recognize the change in the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle. Note that the viewing angle is an angle formed by two straight lines reaching the center of the eyeball from both ends of the object, and as the distance between the object to be viewed and the eyeball approaches, the viewing angle for the object increases.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the lighting device which turns on when the automatic brake is detected by the automatic brake operating state detecting means is a stop lamp, and the stop lamp is generally turned on in response to operation of the brake pedal. Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle can be reflexively perceived that the own vehicle is in a decelerating state. In addition, by flashing a stop lamp that does not generally flash, it is easy to notify that it is an emergency.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the automatic brake is detected, one or both of the continuous lighting and the blinking are operated on the light emitting surface of the lighting device, and
The ratio between the continuous lighting operation region and the blinking operation region can be changed based on the deceleration, and the change in the deceleration of the own vehicle can be visually and clearly recognized by the driver of the following vehicle.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the deceleration of the own vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the ratio of the blinking operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device is reduced and the continuous lighting is performed, when the deceleration of the vehicle is smaller than the predetermined value. When the deceleration is smaller than a predetermined value, the blinking operation region can be emphasized because the ratio of the operation region is large, and it is easy to call attention of a driver of a following vehicle, and the deceleration is equal to or more than the predetermined value. In this case, the continuous lighting operation area can be emphasized, and the driver of the following vehicle can easily make the continuous lighting operation area a continuous visual target, and can easily recognize the change in the inter-vehicle distance with the own vehicle by the change in the viewing angle. .

It is widely and empirically known that when an object approaches an eyeball, the visual angle with respect to the object increases as the object approaches, and an increase in the visual angle of a viewing target indicates an approach even when the object is not actually approaching. Easy to be caught. Therefore, by increasing the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device when the deceleration becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value, the continuous lighting operation is performed even if the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle and the own vehicle is not actually reduced. It is possible to increase the viewing angle of the driver of the succeeding vehicle whose viewing target is the area, and it is possible to make the driver of the following vehicle reflexively perceive the possibility that the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle and the own vehicle decreases.

Further, when a plurality of predetermined values are set, the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device gradually increases or decreases as the deceleration of the vehicle increases or decreases. It is possible to change the visual angle of the driver of the succeeding vehicle whose viewing target is to be stepwise, and to recognize the deceleration trend of the own vehicle at an early stage.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, after the deceleration of the host vehicle detected by the deceleration state detecting means has become equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the light emission surface of the lighting device is maintained before reaching the predetermined value. By reducing the ratio of the blinking operation region and increasing the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region, once the deceleration once exceeds a predetermined value, even if the deceleration falls below the predetermined value again, the continuous lighting operation region remains in the continuous lighting operation region. The ratio never decreases.

Thus, the flashing operation area can be emphasized and the deceleration can be emphasized so that the driver of the succeeding vehicle can easily be alerted until the deceleration reaches the predetermined value after the automatic braking operation is started. Since the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area does not become smaller than before that after the value becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value, the continuous lighting operation area can be continuously emphasized as a continuous target for the driver of the following vehicle. This makes it easy for the driver of the following vehicle to recognize the change in the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle by the continuous change in the viewing angle of the viewing target.

When the deceleration exceeds a predetermined value,
With the increase in the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device, it is possible to increase the viewing angle of the driver of the subsequent vehicle that has made the continuous lighting operation area visible, and the driver of the following vehicle will The possibility that the inter-vehicle distance of the own vehicle is reduced can be reflected and perceived.

Further, when a plurality of predetermined values are set, the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area increases stepwise as the deceleration of the own vehicle increases, so that the following vehicle of the continuous lighting operation area can be viewed. The driver's visual angle can be gradually increased, and the driver of the following vehicle can be made to recognize early the possibility that the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle and the own vehicle will be reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since both continuous lighting and blinking are simultaneously operated on the light emitting surface of the lamp during the automatic braking operation, the lamp which blinks for the driver of the succeeding driver is provided. At the same time as alerting the driver of the following vehicle, the lights that are lit continuously become the target of continuous vision of the driver of the following vehicle during the automatic braking operation. And it is easy to recognize the change in the inter-vehicle distance of the own vehicle.

According to the invention of claim 7, the light-emitting segments in the continuous lighting operation area on the light-emitting surface of the lighting device are a high-luminance light-emitting segment that emits light at one of a plurality of preset light intensity levels, and a high-luminance light-emitting segment. Because it has both a low-luminance segment and a low-luminance segment that emits light at a relatively low luminous level, a lamp that is continuously lit by identifying the contrast of the high-luminance segment and the low-luminance segment to the driver of the following vehicle It becomes easier to perceive as a visual target.

In the invention of claim 8, in the continuous lighting operation area of the light emitting surface of the lighting means, the high-luminance light-emitting segments and the low-luminance light-emitting segments are alternately arranged, and a bright and dark stripe pattern or Since grid patterns and the like can be arranged at appropriate intervals, it is easy for the driver of the following vehicle to distinguish the contrast between the high-luminance light-emitting segment and the low-luminance light-emitting segment, and to easily perceive the continuously lit lamp as a visual target. .

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting means is such that the high-luminance light-emitting segment and the low-luminance light-emitting segment are in either a substantially horizontal direction or a substantially vertical direction or both directions. , It is possible to increase the sensitivity of the driver of the following vehicle to the contrast between the high-luminance light-emitting segment and the low-luminance light-emitting segment, and to easily perceive a continuously lit lamp as a visual target.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the blinking frequency of the blinking operation area of the light emitting surface of the lighting device is determined by the external light environment detecting means for detecting the external brightness of the vehicle. The flashing frequency can be changed according to the surrounding light environment.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the blinking frequency of the blinking operation area of the light emitting surface of the lighting device is determined when the brightness of the outside of the vehicle detected by the external light environment detecting means is a predetermined value or more. Since it is lower than the case where it is smaller than the predetermined value, regardless of the surrounding light environment, it is possible to make the driver of the following vehicle recognize the blinking operation of the blinking operation area, and draw attention of the driver of the following vehicle. It's easy to do.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a vehicle light control device according to the present invention. The automatic brake control means 1 recognizes the proximity state between the host vehicle and the obstacle, and when the host vehicle determines that there is a possibility that the host vehicle will come into contact with the obstacle, the host vehicle operates the automatic brake to brake the host vehicle. When the automatic brake is detected by the automatic brake operating state detecting means 2 and the deceleration of the vehicle detected by the decelerating state detecting means 3 is smaller than a predetermined value, the light control means 5 controls at least one of the rear lights 7 of the vehicle. When the deceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the unit performs a continuous lighting operation of continuously lighting at least a part of the rear lamp 7 of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the first embodiment. The deceleration sensor 11 detects the deceleration of the host vehicle in the front-rear direction, and recognizes the proximity state between the host vehicle and an obstacle. And an automatic brake electronic control unit 13 that activates an automatic brake on the own vehicle when it is determined that the own vehicle may come into contact with an obstacle, and a light control controller that determines a lighting operation mode of the rear light 7 of the vehicle. 15, a lighting driver circuit 17 for electrically lighting the light source on the light emitting surface of the rear light 7 of the vehicle, and the rear light 7 of the vehicle.

The deceleration sensor 11 inputs a forward / backward deceleration signal of the host vehicle, and the automatic brake electronic control unit 13 inputs an automatic brake operation state signal indicating whether or not the automatic brake is operating to the light control controller 15, respectively. I do.
The aforementioned deceleration signal and automatic brake operation state signal are input via the interface unit.

The light control controller 15 determines the lighting operation mode of the rear lamp 7 of the vehicle based on the input signal, and the lighting operation mode is input to the light driver circuit 17. The light driver circuit 17 electrically turns on the light source on the light emitting surface of the rear light 7 of the vehicle based on the input signal.

The present invention relates to a case in which the vehicle is decelerating due to the operation of an automatic brake. Hereinafter, a stop lamp will be described as an example of a rear lamp of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 shows a control processing flow of the light control controller 15. When the process is started, it is first determined in step S101 whether the automatic brake is operating. If the automatic brake is operating, step S1 is performed.
Go to 03. In step S103, it is determined whether or not the deceleration g occurring in the own vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value go for switching the lighting operation mode from blinking to continuous lighting. If the deceleration g is equal to or greater than the predetermined value go, the process proceeds to step S109. After continuously lighting the entire surface of the stop lamp light emitting surface, step S
At 111, the lighting control flag is turned ON. The lighting control flag is set to be ON when the light emitting surface of the stop lamp is continuously lit in S109 during the automatic braking operation, and is set not to be OFF until the operation of the automatic braking is completed.

If it is determined in step S103 that the deceleration is smaller than the predetermined value go, the process proceeds to step S105, and it is determined whether the lighting control flag is ON.
If it is determined in step S105 that the lighting control flag is not ON, the process proceeds to step S107, in which the entire surface of the stop lamp light emitting surface is blinked. If it is determined that the flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S109. The entire surface of the stop lamp light emitting surface is continuously turned on.

After the automatic braking operation is started, until the deceleration first becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value go, the stop lamp light emitting surface is made to blink on and off to easily attract the attention of the following vehicle. By flashing the stop light emitting surface that does not flash quickly, it is easy to notify that the host vehicle is in an emergency.

After the deceleration becomes the predetermined value go or more for the first time, the entire surface of the stop lamp light emitting surface is switched to the continuous lighting operation, so that the stop lamp is lit continuously by the driver of the following vehicle. It becomes an object to be viewed, and it is easy for the driver of the following vehicle to recognize the change in the inter-vehicle distance with the own vehicle due to the change in the viewing angle of the stop lamp light. In addition, since it is widely known that the stop lamp is generally turned on in response to the operation of the brake pedal, the driver of the following vehicle can reflexively perceive that the own vehicle is in a deceleration state. .

The deceleration predetermined value go is set to, for example, 0.1 m / s ² so that the flashing of the lamp executed from the start of the automatic braking operation can be switched at the initial stage of deceleration.

If it is determined in step S101 that the automatic brake is not being operated, the control of the lamp is stopped in step S113, and the lighting control flag is turned off in step S115.

In this embodiment, after the automatic braking operation is started, the stop lamp light-emitting surface is flickered until the deceleration first becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value go, and the deceleration is once increased to the predetermined value go or more. After the stop lamp light emitting surface is continuously turned on, the stop lamp light emitting surface is not switched from continuous lighting to blinking even if the stop lamp light emitting surface becomes smaller than the predetermined value go again. It is determined whether or not the stop lamp is turned on. However, when the stop lamp light-emitting surface blinks again when the deceleration once becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value go and then becomes smaller than the predetermined value go again, the lighting control No flags need to be provided.

Although the entire surface of the stop lamp light emitting surface is blinked or continuously operated, the blinking or continuous operation may be performed on a part of the stop lamp light emitting surface.
Further, although the stop lamp is used as an example of the rear lamp of the vehicle controlled during the operation of the automatic brake, any lamp that can be seen from a following vehicle located behind the host vehicle may be used, such as a hasard lamp or a separately provided high mount. A stop lamp or the like may be used.

Although the predetermined value of the deceleration is only one of go, when a plurality of predetermined values are provided, a plurality of lighting control flags may be provided.

Further, in this embodiment, the deceleration g occurring in the vehicle is detected to determine the predetermined value go. However, the depression amount of the brake pedal, the speed change per predetermined time, the pitching state of the vehicle, etc. The determination may be performed by using another device that can detect the deceleration state of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19 in the present embodiment is composed of a plurality of light emitting segments 21. The LED 23 is suitable for the light source of the light-emitting segment 21. By blocking between the light-emitting segments by a partition wall, when a different voltage is applied to the light source of the adjacent segment, or when only one of the segments is energized, the brightness is dark. Are displayed in a visible state.

The amount of electricity supplied to the light source of each light emitting segment is controlled by the lamp control controller 15. The brightness at the time of light emission of each light-emitting segment, that is, a relatively high light intensity and a low light intensity, can be determined by, for example, disposing two electric circuits having different resistance values for each light-emitting segment in the lamp driver circuit 17, Based on the signal from
It can be realized by switching between the high-luminance resistance circuit and the low-luminance resistance circuit.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the left and right stop lamps 19 provided at the rear of the vehicle as viewed from the rear, and shows an example of a light emission pattern in a continuous lighting operation area in the present embodiment. The continuous lighting operation region includes a high-luminance light-emitting region 161 that emits light at one of a plurality of preset light-intensity levels, and a low-luminance light-emitting region 1 that emits light at a relatively low light intensity level with respect to the high-luminance light-emitting segment.
63, the high-luminance light-emitting region 161 and the low-luminance light-emitting region 163 are arranged in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
They are arranged alternately in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 6B and in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG. 6C. still,
In FIG. 6, the high-luminance light-emitting region 161 and the low-luminance light-emitting region 16
Although the example including both No. 3 is shown, only the high luminous intensity light emitting region 161 may be used.

The waveform of a light wave is generally complicated because it varies depending on the type and nature of a light source that diverges the light wave, but a general wave can be considered as an infinite number of sine waves. The spatial frequency means a frequency at which a specific pattern is repeated within a unit distance, and is defined by the number of cycles per visual angle of 1 deg of a striped visual stimulus in which light and dark are graded by a sine wave. As a human visual characteristic, the sensitivity to the spatial frequency distribution has the characteristic of a band-pass filter having a peak in a certain frequency band, and the contrast sensitivity for discriminating light and dark is highest in the peak region.

Therefore, by arranging striped light and dark perceptual stimuli at an appropriate spatial frequency on the light emitting surface of the continuous lighting operation area, the contrast sensitivity of the driver of the following vehicle can be increased, and the driver of the following vehicle can be improved. Makes it easier to perceive the continuous lighting operation area as a visual target. It is also known that the direction of the striped visual stimulus has higher contrast sensitivity in the horizontal or vertical direction than in the case where the direction is inclined by 45 deg from the horizontal or vertical direction, for example.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a control flow of the operation in the light control controller 15, and the same steps as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described.

The deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me from the start of the automatic braking operation until the deceleration predetermined value go is first reached.
Lighting operation pattern Pe of the stop lamp 19
The lighting operation pattern Pb of the stop lamp 19 in the lighting operation mode during deceleration Mb after the deceleration becomes equal to or more than the deceleration predetermined value go for the first time is set.

The lighting operation pattern Pb and the lighting operation pattern Pe are operated in such a manner that a continuous lighting operation region and a blinking operation region coexist, and the lighting operation pattern Pb is different from the lighting operation pattern Pe on the light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19. The setting is made so that the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region is large and the ratio of the blinking operation region is small. Step S10
If it is determined in step 5 that the flag is not ON, the stop lamp 19 is turned on in the lighting operation pattern Pe set for the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me, and the flag is set to O.
If the answer is N, the stop lamp 19 is turned on in the lighting operation pattern Pb set for the during-deceleration lighting operation mode Mb.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show examples of lighting operation patterns in the present embodiment. 8 and 9 are rear views of the left and right stop lamps 19 provided at the rear of the vehicle, as viewed from the rear, where the continuous lighting operation area 151 is dark and the blinking operation area 153 is light. ing.

FIG. 8A shows a deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me.
FIG. 8B shows a lighting operation pattern Pe set for the lighting operation mode Mb during deceleration.

In both the lighting operation pattern Pe and the lighting operation pattern Pb, the point continuous lighting operation area 151 and the blinking operation area 1
53 operate simultaneously, and the lighting operation pattern P
The b is set so that the continuous lighting operation area 151 on the light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19 is larger and the blinking operation area 153 is smaller than the light operation pattern Pe.

In both the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me and the deceleration lighting operation mode Mb, the stop lamp 1
9, a continuous lighting operation area 151 and a blinking operation area 1
53 are operated together, the blinking operation area 153 is likely to draw the attention of the driver of the following vehicle, and the continuous lighting operation area 151 is continuously visible to the driver of the following vehicle during the automatic braking operation. It becomes a target, and the driver of the following vehicle can easily recognize a change in the inter-vehicle distance due to a change in the viewing angle of the viewing target.

Further, from the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me shown in FIG. 8A to the deceleration lighting operation mode Mb shown in FIG.
Since the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area 151 on the light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19 increases when the mode is switched to, it is possible to increase the viewing angle of the driver of the succeeding vehicle that views the continuous lighting operation area 151, And the possibility that the inter-vehicle distance of the own vehicle is reduced is easily reflected.

Although FIG. 8 shows the continuous lighting operation area 151 inward and the blinking operation area 153 outward in the vehicle width direction, the continuous lighting operation area 151 blinks outward in the vehicle width direction. The operation area 153 may be arranged in an inward direction in the vehicle width direction. Further, the boundary between the continuous lighting operation area 151 and the blinking operation area 153 moves in the horizontal direction, but may move in the vertical direction.

FIG. 9A shows a lighting operation pattern Pe set for the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me, and FIG. 9B shows a lighting operation pattern Pb set for the deceleration lighting operation mode Mb. Those having the same functions as those of 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In the deceleration lighting operation mode Mb, the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region 151 is larger than that of the blinking operation region 153 so that the ratio of the blinking operation region 153 is larger than that of the continuous lighting operation region 151 in the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me. Operate to increase. The ratio of the blinking operation region 153 to the continuous lighting operation region 151 in the deceleration-lighting operation mode Mb is set to be small within a range in which it can be recognized from the rear that the light is blinking. This makes it possible to emphasize the blinking operation area 153 in the deceleration initial lighting operation mode Me and the continuous lighting operation area 151 in the deceleration lighting operation mode Mb.

The second embodiment shown in FIGS.
FIG. 9 shows an example in which the predetermined value go of the deceleration is one. However, in the case where a plurality of predetermined values are provided, a plurality of lighting control flags are provided so that, for example, FIG. 10 (a), (b), (c), (d), (e)
In this order, the ratio of the continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19 may be increased. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a light emission pattern in the continuous lighting operation area when the entire light emitting surface of the stop lamp 19 is a continuous lighting operation area. When the lighting operation area and the blinking operation area are mixed, it goes without saying that the same setting may be made for the continuous lighting operation area.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration, in which an external light environment detecting means 31 is added to the first embodiment of FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration, in which an optical sensor 41 is added to the first embodiment of FIG.

This light sensor is generally used for a vehicle in an auto light system or the like for automatically controlling the lighting of a headlight, and detects the illuminance level L outside the vehicle. And output a signal. The output signal is input to the light control controller 15 and is used for determining the control content of the rear light 7.

Light control controller 15 of the present embodiment
FIG. If the automatic brake is operating, the external light illuminance level L is read in step S301. In step S303, a blinking frequency f for blinking the light-emitting segment in the blinking operation area is determined based on the external light illuminance level L. The blinking frequency f is
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the external light illuminance level L is determined in a stepwise manner so as to decrease as the level increases.

In general, it is known that the sensitivity of human contrast to blinking under scotopic conditions is highest in the range of about 5 to 10 Hz, and shifts to a lower frequency side under photopic conditions. . In consideration of these characteristics, for example, the illuminance level Lo for switching the blinking cycle setting value is set to 70.
The flicker frequency f is set to 10 Hz when the illuminance level L is smaller than Lo, and set to 4 Hz when the illuminance level L is smaller than Lo. Thus, regardless of the surrounding light environment. Since the driver of the succeeding vehicle can be made to recognize the blinking operation of the blinking operation area, it is easy to call attention of the driver of the following vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle light control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart of a light control controller according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a stop lamp light emitting surface according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA ′ of the stop lamp light emitting surface of FIG. 4 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a rear view showing a light emission pattern in a continuous lighting operation area of a stop lamp light emission surface in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a processing flowchart of a light control controller according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a rear view showing a light emitting pattern of a stop lamp light emitting surface in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a rear view showing a light emitting pattern of a stop lamp light emitting surface in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a light emission pattern of a stop lamp light emission surface when a plurality of predetermined values of deceleration are set in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a processing flowchart of a light control controller according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an external illuminance level and a blinking frequency according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of the vehicle according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic brake control means 2 Automatic brake operation state detection means 3 Deceleration state detection means 5 Light control means 7 Rear light (light device provided at the rear of vehicle) 11 Acceleration sensor 13 Automatic brake electronic control unit 15 Light control controller 17 For lights Driver circuit 19 Stop lamp (light device provided at the rear of vehicle) 21 Light emitting segment 23 LED 31 External light environment detecting means 41 Optical sensor 51 CCD camera 53 Radar head 55 Automatic brake electronic control unit 57 Brake actuator 59 Wheel cylinder

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. Recognizing a proximity state between an own vehicle and an obstacle,
Automatic brake control means for braking the own vehicle when it is determined that the own vehicle may come into contact with an obstacle; automatic brake operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of the automatic brake control means; A vehicle light control device comprising: deceleration state detection means for detecting the deceleration of the vehicle; and light control means for illuminating and activating a light means provided at the rear of the vehicle when the automatic brake operation state detection means detects an automatic brake. The light control means may include at least one of the light emitting surfaces of the light means when the automatic brake is detected by the automatic brake operation state detection means and the deceleration detected by the deceleration state detection means is smaller than a predetermined value. Controlling the part to blink, and if the deceleration is equal to or more than a predetermined value, controlling to continuously operate at least a part of the light emitting surface of the lighting means. Vehicle light control device according to symptoms 2. The vehicle lighting control according to claim 1, wherein the lighting means provided at the rear portion of the vehicle, which is turned on when the automatic braking operation state detecting means detects the automatic braking, is a stop lamp. apparatus 3. A vehicular light control device, wherein a light-emitting surface of the light means is constituted by a plurality of light-emitting segments, and a lighting operation of each of the light-emitting segments can be controlled independently, wherein an automatic brake operating state detecting means is provided. When an automatic brake is detected, either one or both of continuous lighting and blinking is operated on the light emitting surface of the lighting means, and a continuous lighting operation area in which continuous lighting is operated on the light emitting surface of the lighting device. 3. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the blinking operation region and a blinking operation region that can blink can be changed based on the deceleration detected by the deceleration state detection unit. 4. 4. The vehicle lighting control means, wherein when the deceleration of the vehicle detected by the deceleration state detecting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle lighting control means emits light of the lighting device when the deceleration is smaller than the predetermined value. 4. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the blinking operation region on the surface is reduced and the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region is increased. 5. The vehicle lighting control unit according to claim 1, wherein after the deceleration of the own vehicle detected by the deceleration state detecting unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, 4. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the blinking operation region on the light emitting surface of the lighting device is reduced and the ratio of the continuous lighting operation region is increased. 6. The light-emitting surface of the lighting means operates continuously and blinks simultaneously while the automatic braking operation state detecting means detects automatic braking. Vehicle light control device of 1 to 5 7. A light-emitting segment in the continuous lighting operation area on a light-emitting surface of the lighting means, wherein the light-emitting segment emits light at one of a plurality of predetermined light intensities, and a light-emitting segment relative to the high light-emitting segment. 7. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a low-luminance light-emitting segment that emits light at an extremely low luminous intensity. 8. The vehicular lamp according to claim 7, wherein the high-luminance light-emitting segments and the low-luminance light-emitting segments are alternately arranged in the continuous lighting operation area of the light-emitting surface of the lighting means. Control device 9. The continuous lighting operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting means is such that the high-luminance light-emitting segments and the low-luminance light-emitting segments are alternately arranged in a substantially horizontal direction or a substantially vertical direction or in both directions. 9. The vehicle light control device according to claim 7, wherein: 10. The blinking frequency of the blinking operation area on the light emitting surface of the lighting device can be changed according to the brightness of the outside of the vehicle detected by the external light environment detecting means for detecting the brightness of the outside of the vehicle. 10. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1, wherein: 11. A blinking frequency of the blinking operation area of the light emitting surface of the lighting device is smaller than a predetermined value when brightness of the outside of the vehicle detected by the external light environment detecting means is higher than a predetermined value. 11. The vehicle light control device according to claim 10, wherein